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Tuesday, August 7, 2012

My today's picks are: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas, Glitch by Heather Anastasiu and Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake. They're all on my TBR list and I heard Throne of Glass is a very good book. Did you read any of these book or would you like to add them to your library?

Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1)

by Sarah J. Maas

Goodreads presentation:

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her opponents are men—thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the kings council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she’ll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.

Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she’s bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it’s the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

In the Community, there is no more pain or war. Implanted computer chips have wiped humanity clean of destructive emotions, and thoughts are replaced by a feed from the Link network.

When Zoe starts to malfunction (or “glitch”), she suddenly begins having her own thoughts, feelings, and identity. Any anomalies must be immediately reported and repaired, but Zoe has a secret so dark it will mean certain deactivation if she is caught: her glitches have given her uncontrollable telekinetic powers.

As Zoe struggles to control her abilities and stay hidden, she meets other glitchers including Max, who can disguise his appearance, and Adrien, who has visions of the future. Both boys introduce Zoe to feelings that are entirely new. Together, this growing band of glitchers must find a way to free themselves from the controlling hands of the Community before they’re caught and deactivated, or worse.

In this action-packed debut, Glitch begins an exciting new young adult trilogy.

It's been months since the ghost of Anna Korlov opened a door to Hell in her basement and disappeared into it, but ghost-hunter Cas Lowood can't move on.

His friends remind him that Anna sacrificed herself so that Cas could live--not walk around half dead. He knows they're right, but in Cas's eyes, no living girl he meets can compare to the dead girl he fell in love with.

Now he's seeing Anna everywhere: sometimes when he's asleep and sometimes in waking nightmares. But something is very wrong...these aren't just daydreams. Anna seems tortured, torn apart in new and ever more gruesome ways every time she appears.

Cas doesn't know what happened to Anna when she disappeared into Hell, but he knows she doesn't deserve whatever is happening to her now. Anna saved Cas more than once, and it's time for him to return the favor.

Sunday, August 5, 2012

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~ It's a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.

News- Got a job as a Data Analyst: experience and money (yay!) but less time for reading (nay!)- I started reading 'Shadow and Bone' this week and I will post my first review as soon as I finish reading the book.

Book Haul

This week I got 3 books in mailbox, some book swag and some e-books as well. I will feature all of them below!

Shadow and Bone

Author: Leigh Bardugo Goodreads summary:

Alina Starkov doesn’t expect much from life. Orphaned by the Border Wars, the one thing she could rely on was her best friend and fellow refugee, Mal. And lately not even that seems certain. Drafted into the army of their war-torn homeland, they’re sent on a dangerous mission into the Fold, a swath of unnatural darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh.

When their convoy is attacked, all seems lost until Alina reveals a dormant power that not even she knew existed. Ripped from everything she knows, she is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling. He believes she is the answer the people have been waiting for: the one person with the power to destroy the Fold.

Swept up in a world of luxury and illusion, envied as the Darkling’s favorite, Alina struggles to fit into her new life without Mal by her side. But as the threat to the kingdom mounts, Alina uncovers a secret that sets her on a collision course with the most powerful forces in the kingdom. Now only her past can save her . . . and only she can save the future.

Goodreads:"Kline has woven a rich tapestry of romance, science fiction, and adventure. Ivory's journey through an Orwellian post-apocalypse grabs hold of you and never lets go." -Terry Matalas, television writer -- FOX's "TERRA NOVA" "My Beginning" is told through the eyes of Ivory, a 16-year-old girl who has lived her entire life within the walls of an institution. The institution is one of many supposedly set up to protect those within from a worldwide plague. She and all of the other surviving children live a strict, mundane life full of tasks and responsibilities--forbidden to go outside, congregate or even look at the opposite sex. Despite the uncompromising atmosphere, Ivory manages to pique the interest of the only boy who did not grow up in the institution, creating a love affair neither of them expected. Multiple secret meetings take a turn for the worse when they are caught and severely punished, but through unexpected circumstances they find themselves on the outside. There is a lot more to the world than they could have ever imagined when they learn of a war and lifelike machines that threaten humankind. Ivory faces many unexpected challenges, and, ultimately, it is up to her to save Aidan and the world she has grown to love. (YA Fiction: science fiction, for ages 15 and up) ""My Beginning" offers up familiar subject matter yet refreshingly showcases it from a seldom seen perspective. By setting the angst and torture of a teenage coming of age story against the backdrop of a post-apocalyptic plague-ravaged society the reader gets to experience a world they've become accustomed to through the astonished eyes of Ivory, the story's protagonist. When you take Ivory's strong yet vulnerable character, throw in a shadowy corporatist boogey-man and his army of 'the machines' you end up with Cinderella meets Blade Runner. Kline's descriptive and lush writing style, reminiscent of Richard Matheson and early Stephen King paints a visually rich world with vibrant characters that keeps you turning pages till there's no more left to turn." - Sean Bishop, Dreamworks feature Animation

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Wishlist Wednesday is a book blog hop where we will post about one book per week that has been on our wishlist for some time, or just added (it's entirely up to you), that we can't wait to get off the wishlist and onto our wonderful shelves.

Please consider adding the blog hop button to your blog somewhere, so others can find it easily and join in too! Help spread the word! The code will be at the bottom of the post under the linky.

Pick a book from your wishlist that you are dying to get to put on your shelves.

Do a post telling your readers about the book and why it's on your wishlist.

Add your blog to the linky at the bottom of this post.

Put a link back to pen to paper (http://vogue-pentopaper.blogspot.com) somewhere in your post.

Visit the other blogs and enjoy!

Shatter me

by Tahereh Mafi

Goodreads summary

Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war-- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

In this electrifying debut, Tahereh Mafi presents a world as riveting as The Hunger Games and a superhero story as thrilling as The X-Men. Full of pulse-pounding romance, intoxicating villainy, and high-stakes choices, Shatter Me is a fresh and original dystopian novel—with a paranormal twist—that will leave readers anxiously awaiting its sequel.

I would like to read this novel because I read about it on so many blogs, it sounds original and I like the book presentation very much. I am sure it's going to be a very interesting read that I'll enjoy! Did you read "Shatter me" by Tahereh Mafi or do you plan to read it in the future? If you've read it I would love to hear your opinion about it!

After a suicide attempt, and now her parents' separation, Rinn and her mom move from California to the rural Ohio town where her mother grew up. Back on her medications and hoping to stay well, Rinn settles into her new home, undaunted by the fact that the previous owner hanged herself in Rinn's bedroom. At school, her classmates believe the school pool is haunted by Annaliese, a girl who drowned there. But when a reckless séance goes awry, and terrible things start happening to her new friends—yet not to her—Rinn is determined to find out why she can’t be "touched" by Annaliese...or if Annaliese even exists.

With the help of Nate Brenner, the hunky “farmer boy” she’s rapidly falling for, Rinn devises a dangerous plan to uncover the truth. Soon reality and fantasy meld into one, till Rinn finds it nearly impossible to tell the difference. When a malevolent force threatens the lives of everyone she cares about--not to mention her own--she can't help wondering: who should she really be afraid of?

Sixteen-year-old Eliza Miller has never made a phone call, never tried on a pair of jeans, never sat in a darkened theater waiting for a movie to start. She's never even talked to someone her age who isn't Amish, like her.

A summer of good-byes

When she leaves her close-knit family to spend the summer as a nanny in suburban Chicago, a part of her can't wait to leave behind everything she knows. She can't imagine the secrets she will uncover, the friends she will make, the surprises and temptations of a way of life so different from her own.

A summer of impossible choice

Every minute Eliza spends with her new friend Josh feels as good as listening to music for the first time, and she wonders whether there might be a place for her in his world. But as summer wanes, she misses the people she has left behind, and the plain life she once took for granted. Eliza will have to decide for herself where she belongs. Whichever choice she makes, she knows she will lose someone she loves.

Based on the hit MTV series Teen Wolf—a teenage boy’s life changes forever after he’s bitten by a werewolf. Scott was just a regular guy until one bite changed his life. Now he struggles to understand who he is and what he might become. Is he more wolf than human—or is it the other way around? Whichever it is, it’s not going to be easy. Scott tries to control his urges, but mostly he’s scared that it’s his urges that could end up controlling him. On Fire is the story of what happens when you to walk the line between what you want and what you can’t help from wanting. Will the bite end up being a gift? Or will it be a curse? And what will it all mean for Scott’s relationship with Allison—the girl he can’t get enough of? Only time will tell if he should embrace his newfound powers, or if he should fear them.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Hello there book lovers! There is a website called GetGlue where you can check-in and get book stickers. Once you reach 20 stickers you can get REAL copies of your stickers for free by filling in a form. I only got a batch of stickers because they tend to skip international requests but if you live in U.S.A you have high chances of getting your stickers. Have fun checking-in!

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~ It's a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.

Book Haul

This week I bought two books: Anna with green eyes by author Modignani Sveva Casati and Jane Eyre by author Charlotte Brontë. I also won some e-books from book blogs contests but I will feature those soon in another post.

Anna with green eyes

Author: Modignani Sveva Casati Publisher: Nemira

The novel starts with a cold January morning in Milan, in the 80's, at Cesare Boldrani's funeral, one of the most powerful and influential people of the time, where all eyes are on Anna, the only daughter of the great industrialist and sole heiress. Suddenly in charge of the huge Boldrani empire, Anna must face not only her own past, but also the past of her father. A fascinating journey through time, in which passionate love stories interwoven with mysterious events and existential dramas. An intense story, loaded with suggestions and symbols, in the unique and compelling style of Sveva Casati Modignani.

Friday, July 13, 2012

Welcome to my weekly "Covers revealed" post! Every week I will feature three revealed covers which caught my eye and let you know what I think about them. Feel free to comment and tell me what you think about these book covers!

1) Witch Born (Witch Song #2)

by Amber Argyle

BOOK BLURB

Brusenna thought it was finished.

She defeated the Dark Witch, saving the Haven Witches from imprisonment and death. She found love and a place to belong.

She was wrong.

Haven is not the sanctuary it appears to be. Even love is in danger of slipping away like water through cupped hands.

Some things can't be saved.

A new threat merges with the old as the Witches’ dark history begins to catch up with them. Only Brusenna knows the extent of the danger and how to stop it, though doing so might cost her everything.

Including her life.

Will Brusenna be required to make the ultimate sacrifice?

Paperback, 330 pages

Expected publication: September 5th 2012

Author's website: http://www.amberargyle.blogspot.com/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13496452-witch-born

This book cover is absolutely gorgeous! It's the second book from the "Witch Song" series by Amber Argyle. The cover of the first book is also beautiful but this one is my favourite because it's so full of magic! I love all of the details but mostly the butterflies and the look in the girl's eyes. Added both books in the series to my reading list and I can't wait to find out more about Brusenna!

2) Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices #3)

by Cassandra Clare

BOOK BLURB

In Clockwork Princess, Tessa and her companions travel all over the world as they race to stop the clockwork army before it’s too late. As Jem’s health worsens alarmingly and his friends search desperately for a cure, can Tessa choose between the two boys she loves—even if it means never seeing the other one again?

Another wonderful book cover! This book is the third from "The Infernal Devices" trilogy by author Cassandra Clare. Tessa's dress is amazing and she's wearing an angel necklace which I love! The covers of this trilogy are very well designed and I sure hope to see them on my bookshelf sometime in the near future! :D

3) Fae (Elemental Trilogy #2)

by Emily White

BOOK BLURB

Not all fae'ri tales come with a happy ending.Ella thought taking care of the ego-bloated Mamood god would be a sure way to bring peace to the galaxy and satisfy her taste for revenge.But she was wrong.Despite the fact their god is gone, the Mamood refuse to abandon their attack on the planet Soltak and Ella's own so-called friends start to turn against her. And with Soltak dying--its oceans drying up and its plants withering in the ground--Ella and Cailen suspect there's a new enemy at work. As more people die and more water is leached from the planet, they both prepare for something straight from a nightmare.The fae are coming.

"Fae" is the sequel to "Elemental". I like this cover more than the one for "Elemental". The background is nicely textured and the girl's expression is mysterious. Is "Fae" on your reading list for 2013? It sure is on mine!